literature

Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.

You Watch it for the Plot: 10 Bodacious Anime Babes
Japanese anime...you love it for the action-packed, crisp animation of Attack on Titan, for the deep, earnest emotion of Your Name, and for the heady science fiction themes of Ghost in the Shell.
By Christopher Wagoner8 years ago in Geeks
Stop with the Dystopian YA Novels
I love The Hunger Games. It's hard for me to find people who genuinely dislike The Hunger Games and those that do usually say it's due to a dislike for the typical dystopian "young adult" novels or media, which is completely understandable. I only got into The Hunger Games through the movies before later going on to read the books and what I found fascinating wasn't just the story, it was the world.
By Harjit Singh8 years ago in Geeks
Character Lessons
Character Lessons Maya Angelou said, “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.” Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, strives to teach his young children, Jem and Scout, to courageously look at life from others perspective. One instance occurs when Jem and Scout read to Mrs. Dubose. Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, an old woman who designates the Finch family as her prey, criticizes Atticus and his children regularly for defending a black man in court. Her insults varying from rude to obscene. In response to the numerous attacks, Jem cuts down Mrs. Dubose’s camellias with Scout’s baton in a fit of rage. Mrs. Dubose requests that Jem and Scout read to her as their punishment, and Atticus obliges. Atticus knows that Mrs. Dubose has a morphine addiction that clouds her mind when she insults his family, but his children do not. He also knows that she wants to overcome her addiction with the help of Jem and Scout reading to her. Did Atticus make the right decision to not tell his children about Mrs. Dubose’s addiction and physical condition? Atticus made the right decision to not tell Jem and Scout about Mrs. Dubose’s up coming death for three reasons: Jem and Scout would have treated Mrs. Dubose without respect, Mrs. Dubose did not want them to know about her coming death, and Atticus could not have taught his children as great a lesson about courage.
By Jack8 years ago in Geeks
Annotate Your Bookshelf
The last novel I read was The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. This novel is set in the eighteenth century and follows the life of Nella Oortman and her marriage to Johannes Brandt. Johannes gives Nella an extravagant wedding gift of a cabinet house, the exact miniature replica of the house that they live in. The novel details the process of Nella furnishing the house by enrolling the services of the Miniaturist. As the house reveals secrets about their lives, Nella realises the unusual qualities of the Miniaturist and unfolds the dangers that are awaiting the family.
By Jasmine Pulfrey8 years ago in Geeks
The Guardians of Peru Series
The Guardians of Peru Series is an amazing historical fiction about the land and people of Peru spanning 5000 years ago until today. There are five books in the series. Each book gives the reader an illustration of the area and the culture. The five books are: Guardians of Machu Picchu Elixir of Life, The Black Rider of Lake Huánuco, Patititi: The Lost City of Gold, Coral Supe, and The Amazon. The books are written in a historical fiction form to make for a fun and exciting adventure.
By Trycia Lino8 years ago in Geeks
'Stormlight Archive Book 3 — Oathbringer'
Brandon Sanderson, the author behind the Mistborn series and co-author of Wheel of Time is releasing the third book in his massive 10-part series (The Stormlight Archive), Oathbringer. Sanderson started Stormlight Archive back in 2010 with The Way of Kings. This book will focus mainly on the character of Dalinar who has to deal with the choices made in his past while also coming to terms with his current decisions and how they may affect not only himself and those around him, but the world at large.
By Darshan Desai8 years ago in Geeks
'Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe
The true meaning of sanity has been up for discussion the last few centuries, as the human race has become more self-conscious. The everlasting battle between life and death, right and wrong, and how to maintain a rational mind in a world of chaos have inspired countless of writers, artists, and musicians. Edgar Allan Poe is no exception to this fascination of the darker perspectives of the mortal life and his story "The Tell-Tale Heart” confronts and challenge the balance between lucidity and lunacy.
By Cecilie Birkshøj8 years ago in Geeks
A Matter of Perception
As a student of the occult (hidden knowledge), I have always been fascinated with witchcraft and the magical arts. Interestingly, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s "Young Goodman Brown" is set in Salem Village Massachusetts, the site of the infamous witchcraft trials and executions of 1692. There, the main character goodman Brown (goodman refers to his humble birth, it is not his name, for it isn't capitalized in the text) departs from his wife Faith for a night to meet up with a distinguished older figure which can only be described as the devil. Although it is unclear if young goodman Brown knows this or not, Hawthorne gives us a hint in the text. He writes, “With this excellent resolve for the future, goodman Brown felt himself justified in making more haste on his present evil purpose” (620). The phrase "evil purpose" suggests that goodman Brown had some foreknowledge of who he was dealing with. As the two travel through the dark Forrest together, the devil reveals that he’s had dealings with goodman Brown's father and grandfather, who were Puritans, and with many of the prominent people of the town, including politicians. They also encounter historical figure, goody Cloyce, who in actuality is Sarah Cloyce, who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials of the late 1600s but was subsequently released. She was also Goodman Brown's catechism teacher—someone who he looked up to. In the end, all of the so-called good people in Salem village that he looked up to were in one way or another, aligned with the devil, including goodman Brown's wife Faith; thus, shattering his faith and leaving him disillusioned in the end. Hawthorne's short story is full of gothic elements, occult references, and historical figures from the Salem witch trials. Through his use of characters and setting, Hawthorne challenges the concepts of good and evil and highlights the protagonist's disillusion and loss of faith.
By Wilson Geraldo8 years ago in Geeks
How the 'Hunger Games' Trilogy Should Have Ended
So. As you should probably know from the subtitle, and the title of this here piece, there are going to be some spoilers. Well, not so much spoilers, I suppose, as a brief discussion of what was NOT the ending, and what, in my opinion, it should have been. One final time, just for good measure: if you haven't read The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, or if you have not seen the movies based on the franchise of the same name, and you don't want to have anything at all spoiled or ruled out, do not proceed. Rather, go immediately to your (preferably local, independent) bookstore, purchase a copy of all three of the books, and don't do much else until you read them all. After which you should also immediately (preferably binge) watch all of the four movie adaptations of The Hunger Games trilogy and enjoy the breathtaking masterpiece that is Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen. More on that in another piece coming soon...
By Kai Pedersen8 years ago in Geeks
Novels by the Numbers: The Source of Magic by Piers Anthony (and the Entire Xanth Series)
From the novel’s Goodreads Page: The Source of Magic (Xanth #2) by Piers Anthony Synopsis: Ordered by King Trent to determine the source of Xanth’s magic, Bink and his companions were harried by an unseen enemy determined to thwart them. When even their protector turned against them, Bink still managed to reach his goal and carry out the King’s orders…but the king did not expect Bink’s next act–to destroy utterly the magic of Xanth!
By Trent Milam8 years ago in Geeks
From the Lips of Children
"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise'?"
By Wilson Geraldo8 years ago in Geeks
The Wheel of Time Adaptation
Just as prelude to this post, I would like to state that I feel the inevitable comparisons to Game of Thrones are unwarranted. The only things these two fantastic series have in common are that they are both a part of the fantasy genre. And that's it. That's where the similarities begin and end. However, the comparisons are inevitable and I've included it in this post for the sole purpose of proving a point.
By Darshan Desai9 years ago in Geeks